Our Mastermind Group

"Dedicated to the relentless pursuit of innovation within the financial services and non-profit communities"

Nicholas Gregory, ChWE, CEBA, ChCCA, ChFWA — Founder, Managing Partner and CEO
Having founded The Wealth Engineering Institute back in 1996, Mr. Gregory and his colleagues have utilized the Institute’s WealthEngineering™ Platform and a plethora of other resources to engineer the core entities that make up the Wealth Engineering Family of Companies as an ecosystem for families and their businesses and their advisors. In addition to The Wealth Engineering Institute, this consortium of entities includes The Charitable Capital Design Center, The Wealth Engineering Hub, The Family Business Hub and EBenefits Hub. The vast array of services of our Family of Companies are harmonized to surround the ever-changing needs of managers of wealth and their clients. Nick and his colleagues have also founded Give Back Nation, a non-profit organization, which functions as a national community foundation to create even bigger waves of giving across the nation. Mr. Gregory holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ball State University with minors in Economics and Finance. Mr. Gregory is a member of the Financial Planners Association, The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, The Charitable Capital Advisory Council and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Give Back Nation.

Kyle C. Gregory, ChCCA — President of Give Back Nation, a non-profit organization
Kyle and several other entrepreneurial philanthropists developed Give Back Nation as a national community foundation serving hundreds of non-profits on a concierge services basis as well as thousands of giving Americans and their causes. Kyle Gregory has held management positions with UPS, Lowes and The Bank of New York Mellon. Using his vast array of management experience and dedication to “giving back”, Kyle helps great causes expand their fight while creating a “circle of winning” within communities across the nation. Kyle received his bachelors degree in Business Management from the University of Central Florida. He is a member of The Charitable Capital Institute.

Rodney Zeeb JD, HDP™ — ​Founder and CEO of The Heritage Institute
A self-proclaimed recovering estate planning attorney, Rod Zeeb is passionate about training advisors. The Heritage Institute training is radically different from the college and continuing education to which professionals have become accustomed. Rod is passionate about training professionals to deliver what clients actually want, a plan that meets the financial needs of the family while preparing the family for the inevitable surprises that come with implementing an estate plan.
With a casual speaking style and an easy-going persona, Rod has been invited to speak nationally and internationally at events including MDRT, NAIFA, AFP, National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, Securities Industries and Financial Markets Associations (SIFMA), NAPFA Advanced Planners/Larger Firm Initiative, United Way of America  National de Tocqueville Conference, Pershing’s INSITE Conference, FPA (national and regional groups), International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy, and many others. 
Rod is also the author of Beating the Midas Curse (now in its 3rd Edition) and Family Stewardship, and he is co-author of the novel What Matters.

John Pileggi — CEO of Strategic Innovations Advisors LLC
John Pileggi is an Executive Manager of Global and Diverse Financial Services Organizations, including Investment, Wealth & Asset Management, Mutual Funds, Exchange Traded Funds, Collective Funds, Banking, Trust, Retirement, Insurance, Alternatives (Hedge & Private Equity), Brokerage, Crowd Funding, Donor Advised Funds, Financial Planning and FinTech. John Pileggi's Specialties: Retail and institutional financial services including brokerage, wealth management, hedge funds, mutual funds, banking and asset management.

Parker Ence — CEO and C0-Founder, Jump Advisor AI
Parker Ence is the cofounder and CEO of Jump, the AI Meeting Assistant for Advisors. In his role, he works daily with RIAs every day, helping them apply practical and safe AI tools to reducing meeting admin time and elevating client and advisor experience. Prior to cofounding Jump, Parker was CEO of a data and AI company, and also has spent time on an AI team at Google Cloud. Parker holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Jump, the Advisor's AI Assistant, cuts advisor time spent on notes, tasks, and CRM meeting compliance by 90%, freeing you to serve more clients or get home early. Be 100% present in meetings while Jump's AI Assistant takes notes, generates tasks, and drafts client emails in your style — all in 5 min, not 45. Sync notes and tasks to CRM (Salesforce, Wealthbox, Redtail) with one click. Built for financial advisors, customizable, secure and compliant.

Adam Ponder — Chief Executive Officer of Alta Trust
A​dam is co-founder and CEO of Alta Trust. Prior to Alta Trust, he co-founded and successfully exited RIA and TPA firms. Now, he is recognized as a leader in the financial services industry who brings innovative ideas to the investment community. His dynamic scope of experience allows him to provide strong strategic guidance to investment advisors. Adam is passionate about helping investment advisors do the right thing for their clients and themselves. Adam craves win-win deals where everyone walks away smiling. Adam, his wife, Nicole and their four kids live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

F. James Tennies — President of InCap Group, Inc.
Jim is President and founder of InCap Group, Inc. He is responsible for the overall development and direction of the firm. He participates in every client assignment. Earlier in Jim’s tenure at InCap Group, he managed a fund administration, fund accounting, and transfer agency business that specialized in providing services to mutual funds.
Prior to founding InCap, Jim served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Legg Mason’s Asset Management operations. During Jim’s tenure at Legg Mason, the firm’s assets under management increased by more than six-fold and Legg Mason was transformed from a regional broker-dealer and asset manager to one of the 20 largest asset management firms in the U.S. Jim’s responsibilities included oversight of Legg Mason’s Asset Management businesses, M&A activity and product launches. Previously, Jim was Legg Mason’s Associate General Counsel.
Earlier in his career, Jim practiced corporate and securities law at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. Jim has served on the Board of the Forum for Investor Advice and the Board of the Historic Charles Street Association and has been a member of the Institutional Investor’s International Mutual Fund Institute. Additionally, he has taught the Mergers and Acquisitions course at the University of Maryland School of Law. Jim is a graduate of Yale Law School (Editor of the Yale Law Journal) and Franklin & Marshall College (Phi Beta Kappa, with Departmental Honors in Government and History).

Darren Sugiyama  — Founder & CEO of Lionsmark Capital
Prior to Lionsmark, Darren founded DaVinci Financial & Insurance Associates, a multi-office life insurance firm. Darren is the acclaimed author of How I Built A $37 Million Insurance Agency In Less Than 7 Years, along with eight additional published books distributed internationally, including Premium Financed Life Insurance - The Key To Effective Estate Tax Planning, and is also a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University, and a M.Ed. in Multicultural Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Darren is married and currently lives with his wife and son in Orange County, California.

David Stone — CEO of IRS Solutions
Enrolled Agent, David Stone is the founder and president of IRS Solutions Valencia, Inc. Having graduated from Cal State Northridge (a.k.a. Harvard of the West) he is also a two time Bestselling author of “Tax Breaks for the Rich and Famous” and “The Great Tax Escape”. While David was still in college, he started working as a Revenue Officer for the IRS, thinking that it would be temporary, he stayed there for 14 years. David was a knowledge seeker so he volunteered for odd jobs others did not want to do; including working the lien desk and becoming an Offer in Compromise (OIC) specialist. Tired of seeing people being ripped off and not being represented in their best interest, David founded IRS Solutions Valencia to assist them in resolving their IRS-related issues.

Jeremy Colombik, CPA — CEO of Management Services International
Jeremy Colombik is the managing partner of Management Services International (MSI), which currently is one of the largest captive managers in North Carolina and manages over 100 businesses that are utilizing a captive insurance company structure.  Jeremy is an experienced, licensed CPA and financial professional who has worked with Captive Insurance Companies for business owners and NQDC Plans for over 15 years.  He is a member of the North Carolina Captive Insurance Association and the American Institute of CPAs.  Jeremy frequently works with the North Carolina Department of Insurance Commissioner as well as U.S. Congressmen and Senators in Washington D.C. regarding regulatory and compliance issues.  He is a sought-after speaker at state and national conferences and a published author for various financial and insurance industry resources.

Dustin Mangone — Director - Investment Advisor Program at PPC Loan
As the Managing Partner and Director of the Investment Advisor Program, Dustin spends 100% of his time focused on the acquisition financing needs of investment advisors nationwide. With over 14 years of experience as a cash-flow lender, Dustin has evaluated and underwritten more than $500 million in funded loans supporting hundreds of business owners across the country that are looking to grow their business by way of acquisition. From the initial phone call to the funding of your loan, Dustin takes a hands-on approach to make sure your needs are properly met throughout the entire process.
Dustin spent two years as a financial advisor providing retirement planning for non-profit organizations before joining PPC LOAN in May of 2005. Dustin has also assisted business owners with various other financing needs including mergers, buy-ins, buy-outs, and succession plans. Dustin is a 2002 graduate of Texas A&M University, resides in Houston, TX, and enjoys traveling and hunting.